An example of an arrangement for achieving the seal between a valve cartridge and the valve body is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,039. This type of arrangement is known as a static sealing arrangement wherein the amount of deformation of a seal 32 is predetermined and controlled by the position where the abutment of the lower surface 30 of the flange 28 with the housing 12 will occur. In this type of static sealing arrangement, the sealing properties of seal 32 do not depend on the amount of torque that is applied to nut 20. The position of the cartridge sleeve 36 (and the seal 32 held by the valve seat 48 that is attached to the sleeve 36) remains the same regardless of how much the nut 20 is tightened. Abutment of the lower surface 30 of the flange 28 with the housing 12 serves as a stop to prevent the deformable seal 32 from being deformed beyond a predetermined amount of deformation that otherwise would occur if the cartridge sleeve 36 moved any further into the housing toward the cartridge seat 34. Additionally, the stop that is provided by the abutting relation of the flange 28 to the valve housing 12 also coincides with the position that the deformable seal 32 must assume in order to ensure that the seal 32 is deformed sufficiently to provide a static seal between the cartridge sleeve 36 and the cartridge seat 34. Thus, the abutment of the lower surface 30 of the flange 28 occurs at that point deemed proper for providing the desired predetermined amount of deformation of seal 32 when the cartridge 18 is assembled within housing 12.
These precise relationships require the maintenance of tight tolerances in machining the various parts and in their assembly. Any deviation from these tolerances results in a leaking seal, and the cartridge must be replaced, resulting in significant waste of material and labor.